Author: Special Correspondent

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is on course to extend his 24-year rule by another five years in a landslide victory, with most of the votes counted from Monday’s election. He has 99.15 per cent of the vote so far, with about 79 per cent of ballots counted, partial results announced by the electoral commission show. The 66-year-old again faced no meaningful opposition, with leading figures banned. His two opponents shared less than 1 per cent of the vote. Mr Kagame thanked Rwandans for their trust in an address at his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party headquarters. “These are not just…

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Families of the 32 Kenyans who were among the 157 victims of the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines plane crash have started receiving compensation from Boeing, amounting to billions of shillings. The airplane crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, killing 149 people on board, including 32 Kenyans, as well as individuals from various other nationalities. The flight was scheduled to fly from Bole Airport in Ethiopia to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. In January, Boeing agreed to compensate the victims’ families after the United States Department of Justice found flaws in the plane’s design, issues that…

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Veteran journalist, the late Laston Mutegi Njau has been eulogised as a Fearless journalist who throughout his long career called power to account. During his burial service at Chuka, in Tharaka-Nithi County, colleagues, friends and family gathered to celebrate the life of the media guru, whose career in the industry spans over 40 years. Born on December 22, 1949, Mutegi Njau joined Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in 1979 as a scriptwriter and a producer at the then Voice of Kenya (VOK) and would go on to script the weekly current affairs programme, Dunia Wiki Hii and co-hosting the popular weekly…

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Kenya joined the rest of the Member States of the African Union (AU) in commemorating the African Anti-Corruption Day on Thursday. July 11th of every year is set aside so that concerned Africans can pause to reflect on anti-corruption progress in their communities in regards to the successful or unsuccessful anti-corruption initiatives and interventions and to chat the way forward. The event’s commemoration theme reflected on the reforms required to strengthen existing whistleblower mechanisms including protection of whistleblowers, effective anonymous reporting systems and the role of citizens in advancing the elusive quest for accountable governance. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission…

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Kenya will not pay the Sh150 million ‘blood money’ required to save a Kenyan on death row in Saudi Arabia, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said. Appearing before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, Mr Mudavadi said the government lacks the necessary funds for the payment, but negotiations are ongoing after the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs intervened to halt the execution. “I wish to state that, a few weeks ago, I officially wrote to the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, intervening on behalf of Mr Munyakho. The execution was deferred and did not take place,” Mr. Mudavadi said.…

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Hearing of former Migori County Governor, Zachary Okoth Obado’s corruption case resumed this Monday, July 8, 2024, before Chief Magistrate Hon. Victor Wakumile at Milimani Anti-Corruption Court with prosecution witness, Mr. Robert Rono of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) retaking the stand. Mr. Obado is being pursued criminally alongside his four children, Dan Achola Okoth, Scarlet Susan Okoth, Everlyn Zachary Okoth, and Jerry Zachary Okoth and 11 others for alleged massive theft of public funds. Mr. Rono’s testimony in the two-day scheduled hearing was meant to, by and large, disclose how the former Governor and his co-accused hatched and…

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Bishop Allan Kiuna, founder of Jubilee Christian Church (JCC), is dead. Kiuna, 58, died on Tuesday at a Nairobi hospital while receiving treatment for myeloma cancer, a type of blood cancer that, while treatable, remains incurable. Jubilee Christian Church, which Kiuna founded, released a press statement late Tuesday announcing his death and requesting privacy for the family during this time of mourning. “It is with heartfelt condolences that today we announce the passing of our beloved Bishop Allan Kiuna. Bishop Allan Kiuna…was an extraordinary man who touched the lives of many and had a great passion for ministering not only…

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Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga is facing backlash from youth over his proposal to engage in dialogue addressing issues raised by Gen Z during the recent anti-government protests. On Tuesday, during the signing of the IEBC (Amendment) Bill, 2024, at KICC, President William Ruto announced a six-day national dialogue forum starting on July 15, 2024, a move supported by Odinga. “I am happy to confirm that we have had consultations and have agreed that a dialogue is the way forward out of the crisis that we are facing today in our country.” Odinga said. The Azimio leader’s willingness to…

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Saba Saba Day, which marks an important day in Kenya’s political history, took on a new meaning this year as it transformed into a massive concert at Uhuru Park to honour those killed during the recent anti-finance bill protests. Tight security measures were in place, with gates opening at 9 am. Organisers, led by activist Boniface Mwangi ensured the smooth running of the memorial concert. “The government is listening now because of the protests. So we are kind of happy, but there’s also a lot of sadness because so many people died for the government to listen,” Boniface Mwangi said.…

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